History has shown that a new software version usually takes a few years to catch on in business. Not so with Office 2010.

At PC Helps, we’ve helped dozens of companies upgrade from 2003 to 2010, and the call volume is steadily increasing. Most calls are coming from customers whose IT departments skipped an Office 2007 migration and were holding out for 2010. As with 2003-to-2007 migrations, 2003-to-2010 promises a steep learning curve on the part of end users.

To help you along, we’re holding a webcast titled “Top 5 End-User Challenges with Microsoft Updates” on Oct. 12 at 1 PM EST. Jim Tate, PC Helps’ client solutions director, will talk about key areas of enhancement in Office 2010, and fill you in on the biggest challenges end-users experience when migrating from earlier versions to the latest release. Tate will discuss the implications for IT and help desk leaders, and will give advice on how to ensure a positive experience for all involved.

Click here to sign up for “Top 5 End-User Challenges with Microsoft Updates.”

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Office 2007, Office 2010, webcast

Every day the tech press reports something new about the iPad. And with the recent release of the iPad 2, the buzz is getting even louder. Although some critics write off tablets as a passing thing, recent stats show that the mini-computers may be more than just a trend; that they promise to change the way business is conducted. Only time and new versions will tell.

In the meantime, here are some resources that promise to expand your iPad’s — and your own — utility.

In and Out Of Office: Putting iPads To Work

This post, by the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, is an overview on how to get documents into and out of an iPad, and how to view, edit and create them on the tablet. He offers app suggestions for the following: creating and editing files; wired file transfers; wireless file transfers; viewing email attachments; cloud-based file transfers; and more. Read it if you care at all about productivity.

Mossberg is a veteran at the Journal, and his iPad coverage doesn’t disappoint. For more, check out his Mossblog column, and the Journal’s All Things Digital site.

iPad 2 in the Enterprise: One Company’s Upgrade Strategy

CIO, another venerable publication, offers a look at how one company smartly handled the iPad-to-iPad 2 upgrade. Top sales reps got their hands on iPad 2s, while other staff were given the “old” tablets. Not your typical hand-me-down. It’s a novel approach to a hyperactive refresh cycle.

CIO also offers tips on the best apps. See the following for more info:

• 15 Best iPad Apps for Newbies
• iPad Productivity Tools: 3 Must-Haves

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized

Early on in its lifespan, the iPhone was considered just a consumer gadget. Cut to the present, just over three years later, and it’s a different story. According to a recent Bloomberg article, Apple, led by Chief Executive Officer Jobs, said about 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies are deploying or testing the iPhone for corporate e-mail use, including Procter & Gamble and General Electric.

A similar pattern seems to be unfolding for Apple with the iPad, and at a more accelerated rate. It has been on the market just under nine months and already it’s being hailed as revolutionary for business. Apple says more than 65 percent of the Fortune 500 already are testing or deploying the device.

Stats aside, it definitely is a hot topic of discussion. Here are some of the headlines from the past few weeks about the iPad: “Enterprises ‘Jazzed’ About iPad, Says Analyst” (Computerworld); “The iPad in Business” (ZD Net); “Tablets Get Down to Business” (CFO Magazine); “Gartner Warns Business Leaders Not to Ignore iPad” (ZD Net UK); “Gartner Urges Enterprises to Climb Aboard the iPad Train” (9To5Mac); “CEOs to CIOs: We Need the iPad!” (CIO.com); “CEOs Should Stay Away From iPad, Wait For Android” (Katonda).

Here’s why we in the IT community should care:

It’s not a netbook, nor PC replacement; it’s a companion device, one that gives workers a new level of freedom and a positive outlook to mobility.  For users in the sales field, for example, the iPad is perfect for on-the-go presentations and contract execution. In health care, it means instant patient records. In automotive, it means selling a car and signing the contract literally on the lot.

And whether you have come up with a plan or not, iPads and other new tablets are likely to  find their way into your office. They’re super-efficient. They’re fun.  They’re pleasing to the eye. And they’re in high demand. They still lack important security features, but Apple, other device manufacturers,and IT departments are working to find a solution.

For now, Gartner recommends that IT organizations provide at least some iPad support for a limited number of key users, and prepare a budgeted plan for widespread support of the iPad by mid 2011.

In a recent press release, the VP of Gartner, Stephen Prentice, said: “While there are no certainties, the iPad looks set to become a market-disrupting device, like the iPod before it. Even if you think it is just a passing fad, the cost of early action is low, while the price of delay may well be extremely high,” he added.

For further reading:

6 Key Considerations for IT in a Mixed Mobile Environment

Gartner to CEOs: Seize the iPad Opportunity Now

Gartner Says Worldwide Media Tablet Sales on Pace to Reach 19.5 Million Units in 2010

iPad review from Life as a Health Care CIO

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Apple, iPad, iPhone, mobiles devices, mobility, tablets

Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 7, Office 2007 or Office 2010 requires a calculated and strategic deployment plan, no matter your company size or rollout method. Preparation is vital to a successful transition. Using the information and data points we’ve culled from many successful migrations with our mid- to enterprise-size  clients, we have organized this collection of best practices and common occurrences:

Most Common Support Calls

Many corporate workers have been using Windows XP for some time now, so a learning curve with Windows 7 is inevitable. Below are some factors that will affect your employees’ productivity with the new operating system:

• Elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar and the Vista sidebar (if applicable)
• A new taskbar with icons only
• Changes to auxiliary apps like Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail
• New features like Federated Search, Windows Mobility Center, Aero Peek, Jump Lists

Best Practice – Provide a blend of self-paced training and on-demand live support throughout all phases of deployment. Downtime is costly.

As for Office 2007 and Office 2010, its radically different interface and incorporation of the ribbon throughout all applications including Outlook in Office 2010, will result in an even steeper learning curve. The design is such a departure that your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks like saving and formatting. Here are some of the more frequent types of tasks end-users struggle with initially:

• Inability to customize the Ribbon and Office bar
• Finding infrequently used features
• Confusion resulting from the new version’s contextual menus and mini-toolbars
• Macros being disabled
• New file formats and “compatibility” mode
• Understanding the new multiple template types

Best Practice –With Office 2007 and Office 2010, the hard part will be getting end-users back to the point where they can complete the tasks they have done for years without issue. The bulk of that work needs to be done prior to deployment or within the first few weeks after installation. Provide pre-migration training, plus on-demand, expert support during and after launch. Without such measures, your in-house IT staff will likely be bombarded with calls, which will take them away from more critical migration issues.

Call Volume

The magnitude of support needs when a new software or OS hits a desktop environment almost guarantees that internal IT staff will be overwhelmed. Besides the increased call volume, once the callers connect to IT, it is unlikely they will get the assistance they need; most help desk generalists do not have the knowledge, experience or training to solve the range of upgrade questions. An inundated help desk means longer hold times, more call backs, a higher call abandonment rate, increased downtime and decreased service levels.

Here’s a snapshot of migration call volume:

• It will remain linear throughout the migration, with peaks cresting most noticeably during the initial installations.
• During months 1-3, our clients have experienced a 50 percent spike in “how-to” support calls. You can expect the same.
• The number of calls will begin to decrease at about month 4, and will continue to lessen through month 6, when the volume drops to 30 percent.
• After six months, levels will return closer to those experienced pre-deployment.

Best Practice – Evaluate the skill levels of FTEs and/or current outsourcers surrounding the newer and previous versions. Often the costs associated with training existing or extra staff to reach the expertise level needed in such a short amount of time is challenging.  Consider a best-of-breed migration partner that employs Microsoft-certified consultants across all versions,  is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and charges only according usage can be the more efficient and cost effective choice.

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized deployment, Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Office 2007, Office 2010, upgrades, Windows 7

Myth: Office 2007 support needs fade within just a couple weeks of deployment.
Reality: Providing support and training to information workers before, during and after deployment is crucial to early and sustained adoption. The new interface is designed to make people aware of features they never found in the old versions. Information workers will continue to discover these new features for months after deployment and they will need ongoing help using them. It is unreasonable to expect the help desk to have found and mastered the features that were so well hidden in previous versions of Office. Above average migration call volume can be expected to last as long as six months, as call volume is linear throughout the migration. The peaks in volume will crest most noticeably during the initial installations. During months 1-3, call volume for how to questions on Office 2007 can spike to a 50 percent increase, drop to an average of 30 percent during months 4-6 and then continue to decline. 

 Myth:  Migrating to Office 2007 is like every other software upgrade or switchover.
Reality: The application looks radically different and is a complete overhaul of the user interface. There are no menus and no toolbars. Many information workers won’t even be able to open files without training and assistance. In past upgrades, an information worker’s knowledge of how to get to the features in the previous version was 95 percent effective in the new version. For Office 2007, it is zero percent effective.    

 Myth: Information workers will benefit from Windows 7 without training and support
Reality: A learning curve is guaranteed when information workers, or even an internal help desk staff, are faced with tools, applications or operating systems that look differently. A lack of proper training and support will prolong the adoption period. Maximizing the productivity increase — and resultant ROI — from the new tools in Windows 7 requires training in the theory and support in the practice of using the new tool. Read more myths and realities of an Office 2007 and Windows 7 migration and eight service levels needed to prove migration ROI http://www.pchelps.com/html/o2007mythsrealitiesroi.asp

Jenny Sweeney How To, Office 2007, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, ROI, Uncategorized, Windows 7, Windows 7 & Office 2007 Migration migrations, Office 2007 Migration Assurance Program, Windows 7

Weather the storm by enlisting the help of Microsoft migration experts like PC Helps. PC Helps has successfully assisted in the Windows 7, Office 2007 and Office 2010 migration efforts for thousands of corporate end-users. The PC Helps Migration Assurance Plan is designed to minimize the learning curve and reduce downtime which allows end-users and internal IT staff to quickly regain the confidence and knowledge necessary to remain productive.
Learn more >> www.pchelps.com/emailweb/sd/O2K10_deplmnt/O2K10_lp.html

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Help Desk, Microsoft, migrations, Office 2007, Office 2010, ROI, Windows 7

© 2010 PC Helps Support, LLC (One Bala Plaza, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004)

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized

Make iPhone and Apple support a reality (and remain cost effective). According to Apple’s first quarter earnings report, 8.7 million iPhones were sold, that’s a 100% increase over the same period the prior year. Apple sold 300,000 iPads the day they were released and analysts predict 7 million will be sold within one year. As a result, IT leaders might soon be forced to embrace the idea of Apple products in the workplace. The theory or what many human capital consulting firms continue to prove, a happier workplace that provides end-users with applications and technology they feel more comfortable with and want to learn will result in amplified productivity and increased efficiency levels.

See how PC Helps is supporting business end-users today: Remain cost effective by outsourcing iPhone and Apple support on a pilot basis

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Apple, iPads, iPhones, MacIntosh, Office 2008

According to an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, published May 12, 2010, Microsoft Corp. expects customers to adopt the new version of Office at the fastest pace in the software’s 20-year history.

“The version will be the best ever in terms of adoption speed, both because of the interest we are seeing and the Windows 7 adoption curve,” Chris Capossela, a senior vice president in the Office group, said in an interview last week.

As a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and an industry leader in supporting corporate end-users through Office and operating system migrations, this news is exciting for PC Helps Support. For an IT leader needing to prove ROI on this Microsoft upgrade investment to the company CEO and CFO, in addition to maintaining service and productivity levels throughout the actual migration period, ‘exciting’, might not be the most accurate term.

If you are planning on deploying Office 2010, combat any anxiety by enlisting the help of Microsoft migration experts.

PC Helps has successfully assisted in the Windows 7 and Office 2007 migration efforts for thousands of corporate end-users. The PC Helps Migration Assurance Plan was designed to minimize the learning curve and reduce downtime which allows end-users and internal IT staff to quickly regain the confidence and knowledge necessary to remain productive.

PC Helps will deliver a similar migration assurance plan for all phases of an Office 2010 deployment. Download the PC Helps Windows 7 and Office 2007 Migration Readiness Kit for a preview of what can be expected for Office 2010: http://www.pchelps.com/emailweb/sd/O2K10_deplmnt/O2K10_lp.html?v=0035000000dgGR1AAM&s=8649A6D22C&rg=1

Jenny Sweeney Uncategorized Microsoft, migrations, Office 2010